NASA administrator Dr. Michael Griffin will receive the prestigious 2007 Quasar Award for economic development excellence presented during its annual banquet on Friday, Jan. 19, 2007, at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in League City.  The Quasar Award is presented annually to an outstanding individual who has contributed greatly to economic wealth and diversity.  Griffin’s leadership and actions have resulted in jobs being recruited, expanded, retained, and created in Bay Area Houston.

The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership will honor Dr. Michael Griffin, NASA administrator, with the prestigious 2007 Quasar Award for economic development excellence presented during its annual banquet on Friday, Jan. 19, 2007, at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in League City.

The Quasar Award is presented annually to an outstanding individual who has contributed greatly to economic wealth and diversity.  The Quasar Award will be presented to Griffin in appreciation and acknowledgment for the progress he has made in fulfilling America’s Vision for Space Exploration.  With Griffin naming the Johnson Space Center as program office for the Constellation program, Bay Area Houston will benefit from job growth and retention of high-tech jobs in support of this vision.  Griffin’s leadership and actions have resulted in jobs being recruited, expanded, retained, and created in Bay Area Houston, the region of 12 cities and two counties surrounding the Johnson Space Center.

Michael J. McCulley, chairman of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and president and CEO of United Space Alliance said, “No space leader in years has been so proactive, clear and decisive in decision making as Michael Griffin.”

“Dr. Griffin continues to advance America’s Vision for Space Exploration with a commitment to safety and fiscal responsibility”, said Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership president Jim Reinhartsen.  “Just as NASA is successful, Bay Area Houston will continue to prosper under his visionary leadership.  With programs like the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), NASA is an innovative economic engine for the region and the country”.

Nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Griffin began his duties as the 11th NASA administrator on April 14, 2005.  As administrator, he leads the NASA team and manages its resources to advance the America’s Vision for Space Exploration.

Griffin is the lead author of more than two dozen technical papers, as well as the textbook, Space Vehicle Design.  Griffin received a bachelor's degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in aerospace science from Catholic University of America; a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland; a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California; a master's degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in business administration from Loyola College; and a master's degree in civil engineering from George Washington University.  He is a certified flight instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings.